Manoa chancellor candidates to visit campus in April

Four candidates for the chancellor position at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have been invited to visit the campus in April and make public presentations to students, faculty, staff and the community.

The UH Mānoa Chancellor Search Advisory Committee extended invitations to the candidates following review of an extensive national pool of potential applicants developed by executive search firm Issacson, Miller.

“From the very beginning, we’ve been impressed with and appreciative of the inclusive nature of the search for the next UH Mānoa chancellor,” said Search Advisory Committee Chair Klaus Keil, a planetary scientist with the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology at UH Mānoa. “The committee had an excellent and diverse group of candidates from which to make our recommendations, and the scope of the committee membership included faculty, staff, researchers and students, all stakeholders with a vested interest in the next leader of UH Mānoa.”

Committee Co-Chair Mark Fukunaga, chairman and CEO of Servco Pacific, said, “The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has a critical role in determining the social and economic future of Hawaiʻi. It has achieved a great deal of success in research funding and student attainment, and is poised at an inflection point in its history to do far more. The next chancellor will lead collaborative efforts between UH Mānoa, businesses, government, the wider community and international institutions, and will need to understand that partnerships are necessary to move UH Mānoa forward. We feel confident that the field of finalists for consideration will meet that expectation.”

Finalists and tentative presentation schedule

Each candidate will give a presentation on his or her vision for the university to interested faculty, staff, students and members of the community. Feedback on the candidates will be accepted and may be submitted via email to uhsearch@hawaii.edu.

Carlo Montemagno
Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Cincinnati
Campus Visit: April 4–5
Public Presentation: Thursday, April 5, Noon–1 p.m. at Kuykendall Hall Auditorium (Room 101)

Thomas Apple
Provost, University of Delaware
Campus Visit: April 9–10
Public Presentation: Tuesday, April 10, 1:30–2:30 p.m. at Art Auditorium

Kim Wilcox
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Michigan State University
Campus Visit: April 19–20
Public Presentation: Friday, April 20, Noon–1 p.m. at Art Auditorium

Mānoa chancellor search process

UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw announced in August 2011 that, upon conclusion of her five-year appointment in June 2012, she will complete her service as chancellor of the university’s flagship campus in Mānoa. Hinshaw was named chancellor after a nationwide search and assumed the position in 2007.

As the recruitment of a new chancellor is conducted on a continuous basis, the Search Advisory Committee may consider additional applications and nominations and extend invitations to other candidates to visit UH Mānoa until a new chancellor is appointed.

Final confirmation of the visiting candidates’ public presentations, and additional information and background materials about the candidates and the search process are available on the Mānoa executive search website.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 3, 2012 with information on how to submit feedback regarding the candidates.

I would like to preface my comment by acknowledging the work of the search committee–they have a difficult task.

However, I do want to state my concern that our searches for executive leadership at the system and campus levels are sadly notorious for not valuing our “local” and proven expertise. The recent list of finalists for the Mānoa chancellorship is a good illustration of this. It is a sad commentary that there is, apparently, NO ONE from our community who has the expertise to lead our flagship institution.

I am also concerned that we continue to conduct searches that do not invite any input from faculty, the community, and other stakeholders during the initial screening rounds. We are, after all, a land, sea, and space grant institution. Local knowledge/input is critical.

IT IS WITH THIS IN MIND THAT I CALL FOR A LIST OF FINALISTS THAT DIGS DEEPER INTO THE APPLICANT POOL.

There is nothing to be lost by offering up well qualified candidates with “local” knowledge (along with those already selected).

With this in mind, we need to consider candidates (especially with experiences at the executive level of administration) who are
* intimately familiar with campus leadership,
* understand the needs of our community, and
* able to balance Manoa’s responsibilities (in terms of research, teaching, and service) at the local, national, and international levels.

As an alumna of Mānoa and a faculty member of twenty years, I strongly believe that we have everything to gain from appointing someone who is familiar with the unique ways of Hawai’i.

I am interested in learning if others feel the same way. Please add your comments (whether supportive or not).

I am sad to see Robert Holub leave the University of Massachusetts. He arrived from California, clearly a stranger to the NorthEast. This has not at all impacted our university and its needs. To the contrary, it may have been beneficial to have someone take a fresh look at the system. His sensitivity, accessibility, his vision and his energy have been exceptional. Holub has achieved immense progress and has effected positively all aspects of the institution. It would be a shame and a tremendous loss for Hawaii to turn down such a gifted administrator.